Hey, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. Got a bit sick and that threw off my whole schedule, then I fell down a JoJo shaped hole. But here we are, chapter 10. No more delays., here we go!
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto or One Piece
CH 10: Onwards, the Grand Line Awaits
"This has to be a dream," Zoro said as he, Sanji, Nami and Usopp took in their surroundings from Merry's bow. A perfectly reasonable line of logic, given that they had just been swallowed by a whale, despite the best efforts of their captain and newest member. And instead of seeing the fleshy insides of the whale's stomach, they took in a cloudy blue sky as the Going Merry ambled towards a set of small islands.
"And we're all dreaming of the same thing," Usopp questioned.
"Maybe some kind of illusion or something," Sanji proposed.
The crew's musings on where they were interpreted as the waters in front of the Merry broke as a giant purple squid burst from beneath the waves. Nami and Usopp screamed and bolted from the bow, ducking for cover, while Zoro and Sanji readied themselves for a fight. Before the men could launch an attack to defend their ship, three harpoons pierced the squid, ending the tentacled menace.
"Seems like there's a person around," Zoro said, his hand still ready to draw Wado Ichimonji.
Sanji smirked, "Let's hope it's a person."
"I've had enough," Nami whimpered, tears of fear running down her face, "I want to go home."
Usopp, his face also marked by fear biased waterworks, added, "Why'd did Luffy and Naruto have to disappear like that."
Sanji squinted at the islands as the squid was reeled in, hoping to see just who had felled the squid.
"Maybe we should just open fire," Usopp exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, the sniper hoping to end any danger before it became a danger to them.
"Hang on," Sanji said, "Someone's coming out."
A figure walked out of the shadowed interior of the building on the larger island ahead of the Merry, pulling the squid onto the shore. He was elderly, bald with a series of flower petals arching around his head, and a handlebar beard of white covered his chin.
"It's a flower," Sanji exclaimed, before he could get a clearer view, "Wait, never mind it's just a guy with petals on his head."
"Did you really think a flower could take out a giant squid," Usopp chided to cook, before he took a closer look himself, "But man, that old guy took out that squid in on hit. Was he trying to save us, or did we get lucky he decided to go fishing right now?"
The man on the island made eye contact with the crew as he finished pulling the squid to shore. Then he strode to the smaller island, took out a newspaper and sat down on the lounge chair.
A vein throbbed on Sanji's temple as the man seemingly ignored them.
"Say something," he yelled at the man, who's only response was to peer up from his paper with a somewhat annoyed look on his face.
Usopp decided to add to Sanji's demand. "I-i-if it's a fight you want, you'll have it. We have a cannon on our side!"
"Don't," the man said, "or someone may end up dead."
Sanji let out a puff from his cigarette, "Oh? And just who might that be?"
"Me," the man said with a deadpanned voice.
"YOU," Sanji exclaimed, his cigarette falling from his comically wide mouth.
Zoro stepped forwards, waving Sanji back as the cook popped a new cigarette into his mouth and took a long drag, muttering under his breathe about shitty old men.
"Calm down," the swordsman said to the cook, before he looked out to the islands, "Hey Old Man, you mind telling us just who you are and where the hell are we?"
"It's common curtsy," the man responded, "to introduce yourselves first before asking questions, you know?"
"Oh, right," Zoro said a bit cowed, "Sorry about that."
"My name is Crocus," the man supplied before Zoro could give his, or the crews, names, "The Lighthouse keeper of Twin Cape. I'm seventy one years old, a Gemini, and have an AB blood type."
"Anybody care if I kill him," Zoro shouted, his white sheathed blade already halfway drawn.
"Calm down," Sanji said, "you shitty Marimo."
Crocus sat undisturbed as Zoro and Sanji began to bicker, their small fight ending when the man began to speak.
"You ask were you are. First you trespass on my private resort and then demand answers with such disagreeable attitudes. Does this place look like the stomach of a mouse?"
Usopp paled, "So we're really in the stomach of that whale?"
"I don't want to be some whale's lunch," Nami cried, "How do we get out of here!?"
"You can use the door over there," Crocus said, pointing behind the ship. The crew turned to follow the strange man's finger and sure enough, saw a large metal door, more than large enough for the Merry to sail through with ease.
"'Why the hell is there a door in a whale's stomach," Usopp shouted.
"And how is it floating in the sky," Nami added.
"Wait," Usopp said, eying the sky critically, "That's not the sky. It's painted. The whale's whole stomach had been painted!"
Usopp turned to Crocus, "Why is the whale's stomach painted?"
"A man has to have a hobby," Crocus responded.
"There are better hobbies than painting large sea mammal's insides," Usopp yelled while Zoro pulled him back.
"Come on," the swordsman said, "We've got a way out. Let's leave the old man to do old man stuff and find Luffy and Naruto."
Suddenly everything lurched and a haunting cry echoed around them.
"What's going on," Nami cried as the waves grew higher.
Crocus had risen from chair, a frown marring his face.
"Damn," he said, "I'd hoped he'd be too tired from running from those Sea Kings to start up again."
"Wait," Usopp said with a start, "If we're in the whale's stomach, then this isn't seawater, it's acid. The Merry's going to be dissolved if we stay here to long.
"Hey, old man, what's going on?"
"This whale," Crocus said solemnly, "has started to bash his head against the Red Line again. I don't know if you saw, but his head is covered in scars from all the times he's tried to break through."
"But that means," Nami said with horrified realization, "he has to be in terrible pain."
"That doesn't matter," Zoro said, "we're either going to capsize or melt if we stay any longer."
As if to emphasis his point, the stomach sea lurched again, nearly throwing the crew off their feet.
"Come on," Zoro ordered, "We'll need to row our way out."
The crew grabbed the oars and began to fight the waves to reach the giant iron doors.
"This would be easier," Usopp moaned, "if Luffy and Naruto were here. I hope they're OK."
A short time ago
"Why," Luffy said, his voice echoing in the metal corridor, "is there a hallway in the whale?"
"Beats me," Naruto responded, tapping his hand on the metal siding, "At least it's not all fleshy."
"Shishishi," Luffy laughed, "All right, it's a mystery whale. Think we'll find the others if we head down this way?"
Naruto adopted a thinking pose, "Well, we're in the whale, and they're in the whale. So yeah, we should be able to find them."
"Yosh," Luffy exclaimed "Let's go find our crew!"
The pair set off, their footfalls reverberating through the metal halls. Before long however, something caught Naruto's attention.
"Hold up, Luffy," he said coming to a stop.
"Huh," the rubber man said, "Why are we stopping?"
"I thought I heard something. Be quiet for a second."
Naruto strained his senses, trying to pick up on what he thought he had heard. He hadn't noticed it while stranded on the little island he woke up on, but something about his senses had changed. It was subtle; his hearing wasn't any better, but quieter sounds were more distinctive now. Much like the sound of a metal door being opened.
"Something's under us," Naruto reported, "I heard a door opening."
Luffy looked around, "I don't see any ways down. So I guess we'll have to make one."
Before the rubbery captain could make his attempt at breaking through the metal corridor, a mournful cry echoed around them, followed by the world around them shaking.
"Aghh," Luffy cried as he bounced down the hall, "What's happening!?"
Naruto, who was clinging onto one of the hallway's wooden supports, yelled after his captain, "I think the whale's running into something."
Luffy continued to ricochet down the hall, quickly running out of space to bounce off of. He smacked into the dead end, the metal panel giving way and the captain falling through the empty space.
"Damn it," Naruto cursed as Luffy vanished into the darkness, "At least he found a way down."
Naruto let go of the wooden support and leaped towards the opening, pushing off the walls to counter the whale's thrashing, dropping down into the level below.
"The whale's got a canal in it," Naruto mused, "Can this get any weirder."
Naruto surveyed the waterway, hoping his captain hadn't fallen in when the whale moved.
"He didn't fall in," Naruto said, drawing back from the edge, his face pensive. The whale's bucking continued, keeping Naruto on his toes as he worked to keep himself upright and in one spot.
"That's it," he exclaimed and broke out into a run, following the direction of the whale's movements, "Luffy must have not been able to keep his footing and got knocked down."
Sure enough, as Naruto ran down the canal, he could hear Luffy's screams echo from far in front of him. Other screams joined Luffy's before the loud groaning of a metal scrapping against metal washed them out.
"What the hell was that!?"
No more sounds graced Naruto's ears as he pressed on, his speed increasing as the whale seemed to calm down. Before long, Naruto saw an open doorway, bright light spilling into the canal way. Within the door, an old man stood, looking down below.
"I won't let you lay even a single finger on Laboon, for as long as I live," the man shouted at whatever lay beyond the doorway.
'What's a Laboon,' Naruto wondered as he slowed, 'Is that the whale's name?'
Naruto crept up towards the old man, hoping it wasn't his crew that he was addressing, when the sound of gunfire rang through the air. The old man leap to the left, leaving Naruto's view of the two cannonballs flying towards the side of the doorway unobstructed.
'He's going to block those with his body,' Naruto realized, drawing a kunai. He took aim and loosed the ninja tool, cutting past the now air born old man and striking the nearest projectile.
The cannonball exploded, causing the second one to follow suit. The old man sailed through the cloud of smoke, harmlessly falling to the water below. Naruto walked onto the platform beyond the door, looking down at the Going Merry.
"Oh," Naruto said, waving at the crew, "hey guys."
Naruto wiped his brow as he and Usopp finished bolting in the metal sheets that now severed to keep the Merry's mast upright after Luffy ripped it out to attack Laboon with it.
"...And he didn't even ofter to help us fix his mess," Usopp groused, finishing his tirade about Luffy wrecking the Merry.
Naruto nodded. After Crocus lead them out of Laboon he told them the whale's story. About how he, as a baby fifty years ago, had follow a pirate crew from the West Blue into the Grand Line. The pirate crew, fearing for the young Laboon's safety, had left him in the care of the lighthouse keeper, promising to return.
They never did, and as Crocus would discover years later, had abandoned the Grand Line, risking the Calm Belt over remaining the dangerous ocean. And Laboon, distraught, began to ram into the Red Line, trying in vain to breakthrough the great continent, to meet the friends he wished were on the other side.
Luffy, after hearing that tragic tale, decided the best way to address Laboon's issues was to attack the giant whale, ramming the ship's mast into a small wound on his head and getting into a punching match which ended in a stalemate.
Luffy then declared their fight on hold and that he would come back to finish the battle after they reached the end of the Grand Line. To seal the promise, Luffy painted a crudely drawn version of their jolly roger, telling Laboon not to ruin the mark of their promise.
"AHHHH," Nami's scream broke the calm atmosphere, drawing the attention of most of the crew.
"Why're you being so noisy Nami," Luffy asked.
"If its about your meal, Nami dear," Sanji swooned as he approached with piles of food, "Then worry not, for it is here!"
"I guess we can take a break for something to eat," Usopp added as he pulled himself up the rope ladder that lead down to the Merry.
"Yeah, I'm starving," Naruto added as he followed Usopp up, "Wish it was some ramen though."
"It's the compass," Nami said, her voice clearly showing her distress, "It's broken. It's pointing all over the place."
"It would seem you lot a little under prepared," Crocus said, drawing up to the crew as they sat at Nami's table, Luffy and Naruto quickly digging in, "Were you trying to throw away your lives. Common sense fails in these waters, your compass isn't broken."
"Then," Nami said thinking through the problem, "it the magnetic fields?"
"Yes," the aged lighthouse keeper said, "The islands of the Grand Line are rich in minerals that play with the magnetic fields across the whole sea. Add in the unpredictable currents and winds and these seas live up too the name of 'Pirate's Graveyard'."
"So without a reliable way to tell direction, it's hopeless," Nami said, "I had no idea it was going to be like this."
"If you want to sail the Grand Line," Crocus continued, "You'll need a Log Pose."
"A Log Pose," Nami questioned, "I've never heard of it."
Crocus nodded, "It's a special kind of compass that records the magnetic field."
Luffy, who had been contently eating the fish Sanji had prepared, perked up at that. "So, it's a weird looking compass," he asked through a mouthful of fish.
"Well it does had a distinctive shape," Crocus admitted.
"Like this," Luffy said, holding up what looked like a mini snow globe on a wrist strap.
"Yes, just like that," Crocus said, "Without a Log Pose, you'd never be able to navigate these waters. And finding one outside of the Grand Line is a task in of itself."
"Just wait a minute," Nami said, getting up from her seat and landing a solid punch to Luffy, "WHY DO YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE LOG POSES!?"
Luffy sat up on the ground, unfazed by the punch, "Those two from before must have left on the ship before we threw them overboard. Why'd you hit me?"
"Just felt like I had to," Nami said taking the Log Pose from Luffy, "So this is a Log Pose. There isn't any marking on it." She looked to Crocus to further explain.
"Each island on the Grand Line has it's own magnetic field," he explained, "The Log Pose records the interactions between islands and will lock onto the next island after a time. From Reverse Mountain, one can sail on one of seven routes, but they'll eventually converge into one path, leading to the final island, Raftel. Only one crew has ever been there, The Roger Pirates over twenty years ago."
"Then that means," Usopp interjected excitedly, "That the One Piece is one that island?"
"Who knows," Crocus said, turning to face the sea, "It's the most likely possibility, but no one's been there to confirm it."
"It doesn't matter," Luffy said, picking his teeth with a fish bone, "We'll find out ourselves once we get there."
Luffy reclined, hand on his expanded stomach, "Well we better get going. I'm done eating."
Sanji and Usopp, who had been caught up in Crocus's explanation of Grand Line navigation, just noticed that all the food was gone."
"Did you eat all the food yourself," Sanji yelled at Luffy, who pointed at Naruto.
"Nope, Naruto had some too."
Sanji turned to fiery gaze to his fellow blond, who was caught wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"Would it help to say it was delicious?"
"You two idiots," Sanji seethed, "That food was for Nami to enjoy!"
Sanji spun and kicked Luffy hard, knocking the rubber man into Naruto and sending both flying, their path just missing Nami, but not missing the Log Pose, which shattered as Naruto's fist smashing into it.
Nami stared at the broken navigation tool, mouth agape, before she got up, grabbed Sanji, dragged to the edge of the cliff where he had sent Naruto and Luffy, and kicked all three of them into the sea.
"YOU THREE CAN COOL YOUR HEADS IN THERE FOR A BIT!"
Crocus laughed at the young ones feistyness, "Don't worry about it. I'll give you one as thanks for helping Laboon."
Down at the coast, five gasps of air broke the sounds of waves lightly impacting the coast as Naruto, Luffy and Sanji pulled themselves from the water, with the mysterious whale hunters, Mr.9 and Ms. Wednesday following suit, having been knocking to the water after their raft was blown up by an odd partnership of an otter and a vulture. Sanji was quick to rush to pull the bluenette out of the water and escort her to the rope latter, leaving Naruto to haul Luffy up.
"Hey," Mr. 9 shouted at the pirates, "I have a request."
Once everyone was back atop the cliff, Mr.9 explained his and Ms. Wednesday's situation, of needing to return to their home of Whiskey Peak. The pair hoped to bum a ride of the Straw Hats in return for a future favor. Luffy had no issue and the matter was settled.
Soon the Log Pose was set to Whiskey Peak and the crew readied to leave.
"You sure about this kid," Crocus asked Luffy as the captain inspected the fixed figurehead, "Picking Whiskey Peak just because of these ruffians. You only get one chance to pick a route across the Grand Line."
Luffy shrugged, "It's OK. If I don't like where we're going, we can also just sail back here a pick a new route."
Crocus chuckled, "I see."
The mysterious pair of 9 and Wednesday chuckled behind their hands, trying to hide their laughs from the crew. Naruto kept his eyes on them, his focus on the woman of the pair.
'Why can't I shake this feeling,' he wondered. Even back when they had 'escorted' the pair out of Laboon, and promptly threw them overboard, when Naruto looked at the bluenette he got the overwhelming sense that she was carrying an enormous weight on her shoulders.
It wasn't the first time he got flashed about people around him. Thinking back, he was sure he sensed Nojiko's heartache over Nami's situation when she let him, Usopp and Chabo but mistook for his own homesickness.
'But why can I feel stuff like this? It's just like the negativeemotion sensing I could do with Kurama's chakra. But it's, different somehow. I can't put my finger on it.'
Shaking his head, Naruto put those thoughts aside. He could deal with his returning empathic abilities later. If what Crocus said was true, things were about to get wild.
"Bye, Flower Gramps," Luffy said as the Merry pulled away from the Twin Capes.
"Thanks for the Log Pose," Nami added.
Laboon let out a sad cry.
"See you later, Whale," Luffy shouted over his cry.
Crocus watched as the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates grew smaller as she sailed deeper into the Grand Line.
"Perhaps they're the ones we've been waiting for. They're captain sure has a mysterious aura about him. What do you think, Roger?"
A port town somewhere in the North Blue
Captain William Alday stood at the stern of his ship while his quartermaster relayed to him that all preparations were complete.
"We'll be ready to sail by morning," the man informed his captain, "It's a turn in our fortunes that those two showed up. We'd have needed another few months, or a really good raid, to build up the funds to finish up our preparations to enter the Grand Line."
Alday nodded, turning his attention to the shore where two figures spared, twin blades flashing in the sun as a lone sword stood against their blows. A sizable number of the crew had gathered to watch, most partaking in bets. Not ones on who would win, but how long the long armed girl could hold out against her feline teacher.
Alday had been apprehensive of their joining his crew, all ready to provide him funds in exchange for passage on his ship, but his ambition had won over his caution. The One Piece was still waiting and the longer his crew was stuck in the North Blue meant more rivals were sailing the Grand Line looking for Roger's great treasure.
The captain smiled. "Tomorrow will be the real start of our legend, Mr. Avery. Round up the crew. I want then nice and rested before we set sail. I've heard Reverse Mountain is a trying first obstacle in become Pirate King."
"Aye sir," the quartermaster saluted as Captain Alday retired to his quarters. On the shore, the spar had ended. One of Matatabi's blades had forced Myukuru's sole sword into the sand and her other had halted just over her shoulder.
"I believe that is my win," Matatabi said plainly drawing her blade back. Myukuru pulled her sword free from the sand and sheathed it, flashing her teacher a smile.
"I almost got you there Mata-sensei," she said, "I think I'll be able to beat you soon enough."
Matatabi responded by running a current of Electro between her fingers, "Do not think I have used all my techniques against you, Myukuru. A good teacher keeps a few things back to keep her students motivated to continue moving forward."
"Great, lighting swords," Myukuru responded in a deadpan before a fierce smile lit her face, "Can't wait to see how I can beat it."
"Oy, you lot," came Quartermaster Avery's stern voice rang over the shore, "Captain wants everyone not on watch rotation to turn in early. We're heading to the Grand Line tomorrow and the captain wants everyone on their A game."
The assumable crew sounded to the affirmative and began to head back to the ship for a meat and rest. Myukuru and Matatabi likewise made their way back, the former deep in though.
'Can't believe I get to really live out my dream. Thanks Sensei for showing up and giving me that push. I'm sure we can find your family out there.'
"Race you back to the ship, Sensei," she called back to her teacher as she raced past her. She knew Matatabi wouldn't chase after her, but she was far to excited to just walk back to the ship. Her own adventure was entering it's next chapter and she was ready to face it head on.
So the crews on its way to Whiskey Peak and Team M&M are about to head into the Grand Line. But I hear you said, "How did they get to the North Blue?" Don't worry, next chapter we'll head back in time a bit and see Matatabi and Myukuru's trek out of the Grand Line and their joining Captain Alday's crew. So keep your eye's peeled and leave a review. See you later.